The Podcast Aquatic

Since opening its doors in 1992, the Aquarium has shone a bright spotlight on the world's 300+ species of turtles. In the decades since, our experts have had much success hatching and raising new generations of turtles, including some critically endangered species on the brink of extinction in the wild. In this episode, two of our lead herpetology experts talk about what it takes to raise these baby chelonians, from what they eat to how they wrestle their way out of their eggs (occasionally with a little bit of help). We'll also dive deep into what you can see in our working turtle nursery, which is undoubtedly the focal point of our Turtles of the World gallery. Watch a video highlighting a recent success story with hatching a record-setting clutch of critically endangered Arakan Forest Turtles! https://youtu.be/xZxaV8gFIJ8?si=Sm968-bsMKWKXwFcEpisode CastCasey Phillips, senior communications specialist, host and baby turtle fanBill Hughes, herpetology collections coordinatorCharlie Olson, senior herpetologistThe Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure.Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠.

When you consider how many species and places that have been the focus of films and series by the legendary documentarians of BBC's Natural History Unit, it's frankly astonishing it took them so long to tackle the subject of Asia. The world's largest continent is home to an almost incomprehensible variety of ecosystems and wildlife, from massive bears in its polar north to sharks and coral reefs off its southeastern coast. In 2024, the nearly-70-year-old filmmaking legend produced the aptly named Asia, a seven-part series highlighting amazing stories and incredible animals that call the selfsame continent home. Now, BBC Earth has produced a new giant-screen film that condenses the best moments from the series into a brisk — yet somehow unhurried — 40-minute runtime. Wild Asia: Life at Extremes 3D will begin screening at the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theater on May 15. In this episode, we'll chat with its director, Matthew Wright, about the importance of finding new ways to show charismatic, well-documented species, the experience of capturing never-before-seen behaviors and his hopes for how the film impacts audiences. Learn more about the film and purchase advance tickets to meet Matthew during his visit on May 5, 2026, at https://tickets.tnaqua.org/events/019d8819-45e2-43c4-5341-60bd2665f901?_gl=1%2awf73rw%2a_gcl_au%2aOTY3MTA3NC4xNzc0MzY3MjM5Watch the film's trailer at https://youtu.be/ScWg4_mvVA0?si=p7lq7pROaExpojX2Episode Cast​Casey Phillips, host and senior communications specialist​Matthew Wright, series producer, Asia, director, Wild Asia: Life at Extremes 3DThe Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure.Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠.

More than 13,000 residents live at the Tennessee Aquarium, and because of the dedicated work of our caretaking and veterinary teams, many of them have far exceeded their species’ median life expectancy in human care. Just like with people, advanced age brings on a host of changes to how animals experience the world around them, and this necessitates adjusting how we care for them.In this episode, we’ll chat about how we adjust our approach to tending to our older residents. Episode castCasey Phillips, certified "old," host and senior communications specialistThom Demas, vice president and chief husbandry and exhibits officerDr. Christian Keller, director of animal healthRachel Thayer, assistant curator of fishesThe Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure.Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

In the zoo and aquarium world, creating true-to-wild habitats is critically important, but simply building these miniature worlds for our residents isn’t good enough. After all, even the most beautiful home would start to feel stifling if every day inside was the same and nothing ever changed. To keep the animals’ lives interesting and stimulating, our caretakers place immense priority on dreaming up and creating new forms of enrichment. Whether it’s a new scent, a treat delivered in a puzzling container, a “painting” session or the temporary addition of sprinklers, snow or even bubbles, these tweaks and alterations keep life interesting, encourage mental and physical exercise and reinforce natural behaviors. In this episode, two of the Aquarium’s most enthusiastic enrichment champions about why enrichment matters, some of their favorite enrichment success stories and how they devise new ways to keep the animals on their toes, fins and claws.Episode castCasey Phillips, host and senior communications specialistMaggie Sipe, Ocean Journey lead animal care specialistJennifer McPheeters, River Journey lead animal care specialistThe Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure.Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Although the Aquarium is constantly changing up animals inthe exhibits or building new habitats, it’s not often that we get to celebrate the opening of a brand-new gallery. With a building like ours, space is at a premium, so when we add something big, something old often has to leave to makeroom for the new and exciting addition. In a little over two weeks, the Aquarium will cut the ribbonon Scuttlebutt Reef. This exciting new collection of exhibits is taking the place of the Boneless Beauties gallery and is the first major addition to our campus since 2023. Scuttlebutt Reef shines a spotlight on many smaller marinespecies with highly specialized (and often misunderstood) adaptations. These oddball superpowers allow them to — among other things — glow in the dark, suction themselves to rocks, refract light, dig without any limbs and punch well above their weight class. The new gallery opens on March 7, 2026, but in the meantime,this episode will preview the new space, explore its origins and introduce many of the species you’ll soon be able to see there. To learn more about Scuttlebutt Reef, visit tnaqua.org/exhibit/scuttlebutt-reef/ Episode CastCasey Phillips, host, senior communications specialistSharyl Crossley, Ocean Journey lead aquarist Tom Demas, vice president, chief husbandry and exhibits officerJeff Worley, director of exhibit services The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure. Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Before the advent of photography and — obviously — videography, naturalists had no choice but to rely on their artistic skills if they wanted to preserve a visual record of their work. Whether an impromptu sketch or a laboriously detailed drawing or painting, scientific illustrations were a vital means of sharing scientific research and observations with the public. They were also, in many cases, absolutely beautiful works in their own right. In this episode of the show, we connect with a modern-day scientific illustrating savant, Joe Tomelleri, who is renowned the world over for this exactingly detailed depictions of freshwater fish. Using nothing but his skill, carefully preserved specimens and a set of colored pencils, he toils for dozens of hours to produce a single image that replicates identifiable characteristics down, without exaggeration, to individual scales. To learn more about Joe's work or to purchase a print, visit his website at https://www.americanfishes.comWatch a video documenting Joe and Dr. Bernie Kuhajda's work to study and document Mexican trout species at https://youtu.be/IgLvcImJW1I?si=12R290rrmZr3_rbu[The drawing of a Pumpkinseed used as this episode's art is by — and used courtesy of — Joe Tomelleri.]Episode CastCasey Phillips, host/senior communications specialistJoe Tomelleri, scientific illustratorDr. Bernie Kuhajda, aquatic conservation biologistThe Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure. Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

For many people, a visit to a national park is like making a pilgrimage, a chance to commune with nature in a setting of remarkable beauty and peace. The United States is a big country, though, and even with more than 430 designated national parks, every region didn't get an equal share of the spoils. Although spectacular examples exist, such as the Great Smoky Mountains, Acadia and Everglades, only about 20% of national parks are east of the Mississippi. If you live far from a national park and want to seek solace in nature closer to home, your best bet is probably one of the almost 10,000 state parks. These sites are distributed far more evenly throughout the country and enshrine vistas every bit as beautiful and grandiose as those in national parks. Even better, there's probably one (or several) just around the corner from wherever you happen to be listening. In this episode, the Studio Dive Cage goes on the road to Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park about an hour west of Chattanooga. There, guests from The Tennessee Conservationist — the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks — and the park discuss the misnomer that gave Old Stone Fort its name, why the nearby Duck River is so biologically rich, the role state parks play in democratizing access to nature and the future of Tennessee state parks. For more information about or to subscribe to The Tennessee Conservationist, visit https://www.tnconservationist.orgLearn more about Tennessee's State Parks at https://www.tnstateparks.comEpisode castCasey Phillips, host/senior communications specialist/bona fide state park fan Whit Gardner, marketing and subscription manager (The Tennessee Conservationist)Keith Wimberley, park manager (Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park)The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture.It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure. Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

At the Aquarium, a LOT of work is done by full-time team members, from seeing to the needs of the animals and keeping the lights on to hosting special events and ... yes, podcasting. During their visit, however, many guests benefit in innumerable ways from the dedicated efforts of hundreds of volunteers. From prepping diet for sharks and watering tropical orchids to hosting underwater educational programs, volunteers make the Aquarium world go round. In this episode, our volunteer coordinators join a long-time volunteer diver to discuss why folks are so generous with donating their time and effort to the Aquarium and ways you — yes, YOU — can sign up to help out, too. Learn more about opportunities to volunteer at the Aquarium at tnaqua.org/volunteer/Episode CastCasey Phillips, senior communications specialist/hostDarleene Cole, senior program manager of volunteer servicesClaudia Mendez-Marti, volunteer engagement coordinatorDaniel Backlund, volunteer diverThe Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure.Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

While we recover from our 50-episode-long first season and get ready to swim into season two in 2026, we're revisiting some of our favorite episodes since our launch back in 2024. This oldie, but certainly a goodie, focuses in on the fascinating and important work being done by our horticulture team. Episode castCasey Phillips, senior communications specialist/hostAustin Prater, senior horticulturistJenna Paler, horticulturist IIThe Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure. Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

In the English language, there are few words that convey a sense of finality quite like "extinction." The notion that a species could completely disappear from the planet forever — down to literally the last individual — is incredibly sobering. But how "final" is extinction? How can scientists be sure that an animal has, in fact, completely disappeared forever? As sampling and surveying techniques improve and more and more eyes and camera lenses are trained on broader and broader swaths of the planet, supposedly extinct animals like the Coelacanth and Attenborough's Long-beaked Echidna have been rediscovered like Lazarus rising from the grave. In this quick-hit episode, we pose the question to our resident biologist of how extinction is determined, whether it's reversible and, if so, why bringing an animal back might not be a morally sound path to take. Learn more about how our intervention saved the critically endangered Laurel Dace from near-certain extinction: https://youtu.be/NPcm_d-PsXk?si=xRy63_gWZ_ktvExF Episode castCasey Phillips, host, senior communications specialist, certifiably not extinctDr. Bernie Kuhajda, aquatic conservation biologistThe Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture.It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure. Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

When you were a student — assuming you aren't still one — did you ever imagine that your teacher lived at your school? Sometimes, educators can give so much of their time and energy (and occasionally their money) to their craft that it can certainly seem like a school is where they call home. In reality, many teachers feel hamstrung at having to adapt their methods to their classroom facilities, working around inadequacies or equipment that doesn't quite meet their own needs or those of their students. What if teachers were invited to help design those same classrooms, though? Wouldn't their input be a valuable asset in the learning process? Wouldn't it ease their frustration and make them more effective at their critically important jobs? As this episode goes live, the Tennessee Aquarium is just one day away from opening a major addition to its downtown Chattanooga campus: The S.T.R.E.A.M. Learning center, supported by UNUM. This new facility sits next door to the Ocean Journey and River Journey buildings and will act as the hub of the Aquarium's previously decentralized educational efforts. Better still, its design was directly influenced by the educators who will be using it to teach and as a resource for professional development. In this episode, we discover why we invited teachers to participate in the design process and how their input will impact the Aquarium's long-standing role as an educational resource to so many.Episode castCasey Phillips, host, senior communications specialist and proud teacher's son/brother-in-lawNatali Rodgers, director of learning and evaluationRachel Hargis, UNUM corporate social responsibility managerThe Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture.It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure. Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

There are some animals that don’t deal well with change. Or rather, they seem to somehow avoid being touched by the passage of time like they’re role playing as Peter Pan or Dorian Gray. These lurkers on the edges of the evolutionary flow are what scientists have catchingly termed “living fossils.” One of the most well-known examples of being adverse-to-change are the lepisosteiformes, the taxonomic order of fishes more commonly known as “gars.”These toothy-snooted, predominantly freshwater predators have a fearsome appearance but have come to be much beloved. This episode arrives concurrent with the annual celebration known as “Gar Week.” This weeklong social media event is the brainchild of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and offers an opportunity for the citizens of Earth to pay homage to these evolutionarily stubborn fishes. This episode features special guest Dr. Solomon David, a well-known, socially media savvy gar expert, researcher and aquatic ecology professor from the University of Minnesota. Learn more about him at solomondavid.net/ [Check out Dr. David’s gar-geous photos and videos via his Instagram (instagram.com/solomon.r.david/) and TikTok (tiktok.com/@solomonrdavid).] Episode castCasey Phillips, host/senior communications specialist/podcast GARgoyleDr. Solomon David, assistant professor, aquatic ecologist and principal investigator at GarLab (University of Minnesota)Dr. Bernie Kuhajda, aquatic conservation biologist (Tennessee Aquarium)The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure.Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

For a fish that first appeared alongside dinosaurs and survived the calamity that wiped them out, the Lake Sturgeon has had a hard last half-century in Tennessee. Once abundant in the state's waterways, wild Lake Sturgeon were last seen in Tennessee in 1963. In 1998, the Tennessee Aquarium was among the organizations that founded the Lake Sturgeon Working Group. Since then, the group members have been hard at work raising and releasing baby Lake Sturgeon in hopes of re-establishing a stable wild population in the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. This year, that effort celebrates 25 years of releasing sturgeon raised in human care, and recent findings by wildlife managers suggest those years of effort may finally be bearing fruit. Watch our scientists help with spawning wild Lake Sturgeon in Wisconsin: https://youtu.be/ew_4yDb3CcwEpisode CastCasey Phillips, host/senior/communications specialistDr. Anna George, vice president conservation science & educationEd Scott, fisheries biologist, Tennessee Valley Authority (retired)Brandon Simcox, rivers and streams coordinator, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure. Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.